Heat exchangers are devices for transferring heat from one medium to another, typically from one fluid to another or to a surrounding environment, without allowing the fluids to mix. Some examples are: automobile radiators; air conditioners, and steam hot water radiators, and water boilers and heating systems, which are used to produce or remove heat. In order to prevent mixing of the fluids, or liquids, a barrier is provided between the two liquids or media. Many different heat exchanger barrier designs are used. In a “plate and frame” design, which is very compact, two liquid streams pass on opposing sides of one or more plates. The total heat transfer surface may be increased by increasing the area of plates and the number of plates. In a “tube and shell” design, one stream of liquid flow passes through tube(s) and the other through the remaining space inside a shell that surrounds the tubes.
Though improvements to such heat exchangers have been made over the years, there remains a need for further improvements that increase efficiency, improve performance, reduce cost, and/or reduce the size of heat exchangers.